Hi Friend,
What a killer week! We launched our latest service offering – ONE BIG DAY – and already had a couple of conversations with people we have never worked with before. Who knows if they’ll turn out to be anything, but it was very encouraging to get to talk through it with people who didn’t know it existed until this week. I guess no one really knew till this week.
I’ve known for a while. The rest of the Hawks Agency team has too. A few advisers were also privy to the formulation. It’s extremely rewarding to bring something to life and immediately have others show interest. We have some big goals with it. We want to do 10 of them next year, which for us is a big challenge.
What makes it so affirming is the one person I talked to literally said “we have decided to do ONE DAY for our team of 250 employees.” I was like “What if we did one BIG day?!”
It doesn’t take much to encourage me. I recently had a conversation with a friend about how I interpret what I hear. I can extract a morsel of positivity out of the most negative news. I’m not only a glass-half-full kind of guy, I’ve got a faucet continually on, ready to overflow that glass!
Interpretation normally means a literal translation of what someone says – typically in a different language – than interpreted into the language of the listener. When I spoke in Buenos Aires this year there were two little enclosed cubes at the back of the room, with interpreters interpreting in real-time for people wearing headphones in the audience.
What Language Do You Speak?
“Problems are simply an opportunity for solutions.”
“Failure is the pathway to success.”
“When one door closes another will open.”
Whether those are an interpretation of hope, positivity or belief they all come from the same language.
I never think about the english language. I use it all the time, every day. I actually love it quite a bit. Finding words and expressions to articulate every thought, emotion and sensation is stimulating for me. I’m convinced there are more than enough words to define everything happening in our soul if we’ll take the time to discover them.
Only when I hear someone speaking a different language am I reminded that english isn’t the only way two humans can communicate. Negativity and pessimism creates a similar experience in me. I know it’s a way people exchange ideas, but it’s hard to understand.
Misinterpretation, on the other hand, is the downfall of many a relationship. Over and over and over one person will say “That’s not what I said” and another will say “It doesn’t matter what you said, it’s HOW you said it!” And the breakdown continues from there. Interpretation is not just the words but all the non-verbals that go along with it too.
Listening is a visual sport!
We hear first with our eyes, second with our emotions and third with our ears. This is why communication, both professionally and personally is ALWAYS a challenge and cause of so much friction, tension and frustration. I wish it were simply words. It’s not. This is where interpretation can go off the rails.
We typically blame the other person for misunderstanding. However, interpretation precedes understanding. Many times I thought someone else was the problem, when really it was me. Whether my words didn’t line up with my non-verbals OR how I interpretedwhat was being communicated was way off. I’m still growing and learning, thankfully.
I desire accurate interpretation!
Instigating Ideas
1. What language would your colleagues or family say you speak?
2. Consider your last misinterpretation. What did you miss?
3. Do you articulate with accurate words?
4. Express gratitude to someone who communicates well.
I used to teach a 30 hour research-based relationship training course for couples with newborns through a state program that was trying to prevent future separation. One of the things I recall from it, was that women’s hearing is different than mens. Something in their physiology enable them to hear nuances in sound frequencies thus their ability and awareness for “tones” of voices. It sounds like a joke, it’s not.
Let me reiterate:
INTERPRETATION PRECEDES UNDERSTANDING
I can frustrate someone because they bring me bad news and I can see possibility in it. They’ll say something like “you don’t understand!” And I’ll think or say, “I absolutely understand, I just draw a different conclusion than you do from the information.” How I interpret enables me to continue to speak my language of optimism and positivity.
Language shapes our reality and we’re all not living in the same one.
I would love to hear how you recognize different languages amongst your family, friends and colleagues. Have you found a way to interpret accurately and consistently what others mean, even when their words fall short? Please Share!